Frustration - Part One
by Jewell Treader
Summary: Kira is angry she allowed Skolas to escape her grasp, having taken Varik's warnings unheeded. But this pent up fury could eventually lead her to her own demise, and Variks has a plan to help her with that.
1. Chapter 1

"It's alright, Guardian, we'll get him next time," came Petra's voice over the speaker. Her optimism, though, did little to quench the cold rage Kira felt inside. When the smoke residue from her grenade launcher rolled away, Skolas was indeed gone. She drew her lips into a tight scowl, and her brows narrowed. _That bastard!_

As if Petra could sense her agitation through the com speakers, she said, "There's still more Wolves in the area to deal with. Take 'em out, Gaurdian!"

Kira brought out Red Death. "With pleasure."

An hour later and bodies of former Wolves simmering at her feet did nothing to sate Kira's growing anger. Variks had tried to warn her that Skolas was as crafty as he was strong, but her arrogance refused to believe that the Kell was no different than any other she'd fought. She frowned at her own blunder. They'd lost three Guardians on this mission, but the Wolves had taken the hardest blow today. Petra called this a victory. Why then did it taste like ash in her mouth?

"Variks, good job," said Petra over the speakers, "Gaurdian…even better. Come on back, Guardian, when you're finished. We're not through with the Wolves yet."

As soon as Kira pillaged what she could from the enemy, mainly ammo and bits of odds and ends, she headed back to her shuttle and set the coordinates for the Reef. Ghost shimmered into existence next to her as they levitated off the ground.

"You seem…"

Either Ghost didn't know the right word or opted for caution; either way, Kira cut him off.

"I think the word you're looking for is pissed."

"I was going to say stressed, but that works," said Ghost. "It's not your fault those other Guardians died—"

"But it is, Ghost!" Kira nearly shouted, her anger reaching its peak. "I told them to flank Skolas; but I underestimated him. It should have been me, not them. And they paid for my mistake."

"No. Don't say that," Ghost said, his small robotic form shaking as a person would when disagreeing. "You couldn't have known. But Petra's right. We'll get him, sooner or later."

But Kira wouldn't hear any of his sympathies today. "You don't understand, Ghost. You _can't_."

And that was the truth. Ghost was just a machine. Emotions had not been programmed into his wiry brain. The concept was unknown to him. Ghost was only meant to protect and guide her; nothing else. Or so she resigned telling herself.

The entire ride there was spent in tense silence. After she'd snapped at him, Ghost said nothing more and with a flash of light, vanished out of sight. It was only halfway there Kira suddenly regretted being short with him. Just as she decided to swallow her anger and apologize, the portal opened and the sight of the Reef welcomed them on the other side. Kira didn't plan on seeing Petra just yet, though. She needed some currency, and Variks might be interested in some of the Fallen gadgets she'd plundered. Apologizing to Ghost would have to wait.

Variks saw her coming before she did, and he looked half-heartedly at the bag she threw at his feet with a loud clank.

"What'll you give me for that?" she asked, crossing her arms. Anger had worn her patience thin as well.

Varik's four eyes swiveled from the lump at his feet and fell upon her tense form standing in front him. Whatever the Vandal was thinking, she thought, he kept it cleverly hidden, even behind a mask. She thought she heard him sniff, but that would be strange, even for him. Did she stink?

"Skolas' escape has you tense, yes?" he inquired.

Even the name rankled her, but she tried to play it cool. "If you don't want that I'll just take it to someone who does."

Kira stooped to snatch up the bag, but Varik's staff struck the floor an inch from her outstretched hand. She looked up at him and didn't even try to hide her irritation.

Picking up the bag, he said, "Follow me, Guardian."

At first, Kira was reluctant to follow after the Fallen Vandal, thinking he might stab her in the back. The first time she'd met him, he'd greeted her with an arm on the hilt of his pistol he always carried. She'd only known him a few months, but their association was strictly between acquaintance and business. Nothing more.

She didn't want to follow him, but she didn't want to leave her things with him without getting paid for it either. So she had no choice. At least, she though, she had her weapons on her this time. If he tried anything, Kira wouldn't hesitate to shove her grenade launcher up his ass and send him to the moon.

"In here, Guardian," his voice called from the darkness. Kira couldn't see anything but a wall of blackness, so thick she couldn't even tell if her eyes were open or closed. Then an orange light flickered, and she could see.

They were in some kind of storeroom, overloaded with all the things Guardians had brought to trade with Variks. Most of it looked useless in Kira's eyes, but Fallen were notorious for taking anything not in use anyways. This must be where he sleeps and does what all else down here.

The first thing that caught her interest was a dead Ghost. She picked the remains up and examined it, wondering what it was doing here.

"Why do you have this?" she asked, and Variks, out of nowhere, snatched it out of her hand and hid it from her sight.

"Nothing, nothing," he said hastily. When she exuded suspicion, he said, "Curious about Ghosts, that is all."

"Uh huh," she said, not believing a word. One thing she _did_ know about Variks was that you couldn't trust him. Not implicitly, and definitely not with your life. Petra might have told her a thing or two about him trying to get her killed a few times on a mission. So Kira knew to be wary around him, even though Variks once told her not to believe in the stories about him. After all, he _did_ betray the Kell of Kells. What's to say he won't do it again? And what's to say he won't use these Ghosts against them somehow?

 _Curious my ass_.

Growing fast impatient with him, she said, "So, you gonna pay me or what?"

"Yes, yes," he said, returning, without the Ghost. "But there is a reason I brought you here, Guardian. Variks has council for you."

"I get enough council from my Ghost," Kira responded. "What could you possible have to say to me that it hasn't?"

"Ghosts cannot _feel_ , Gaurdian, only guide; listen," Variks said, speaking in his normal riddles again. Kira didn't have time for this.

"Speak plainly, Variks, I'm in no mood for your allegories today," she snapped.

"You wish to capture Skolas, yes?" he asked. "So does Variks. I told you before, you help me, I'll help you."

"Is this about the mission, Variks?" Kira narrowed her eyes at him.

"I sense you are…deeply troubled; angry." He said it as if it was so obvious. "Variks can help."

"You want to help, give me the damn upgrade I've been wanting so I can send Skolas and all House of Wolves to hell!"

She stood face to face with him, breathing heavily through flared nostrils.

Variks remained unmoved by her anger toward him. That frustrated her even more, not knowing what he was thinking. She was so angry, she didn't see the hand that moved and fell on her hip.

Kira blinked at the contact and looked down at his hand on her waist. She suddenly forgot her anger, the sudden movement catching her unawares. His other lower hand reached out and joined it.

"W-what are you doing?" she asked. Kira tried to exude anger, but she was too struck with what was happening and so her voice fell flat.

"I can relieve the tension pent up inside you; I can _smell_ it," he said, drawing her body against his. Kira felt her body flush, understanding. _How did he…he couldn't mean…but he did…_

She swallowed hard, unsure of what to do, but then, driven by impulse, she untangled herself from his prehensile arms. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Variks. I'll just…be going now…"

She didn't even bother taking the loot bag with her, leaving it and Variks _far_ behind. She was sprinting now and didn't stop until she'd reached her shuttle. When they were out of the Reef, only then did Kira release the breath she'd been holding.

 _What the hell…just happened?_

As if Ghost could read her thoughts, he said loudly into the speakers, "I…think that Fallen just made a pass at you."

"Shut up, Ghost!"


	2. Frustration - Part Two

Kira flicked the auto-pilot on after beaming for the Tower and stepped into the back of the ship where her pod waited for her. Unlike the others, this one was spread horizontal-wise—reminding her a tanning bed she once saw in a magazine she'd salvaged from the Cosmodrome. She preferred sleeping on her back rather than standing up. The latter always gave her a feeling like sea legs, which often resulted in her retching over the side of her aircraft. Not a very good image on her part for those who had to witness it.

She pressed a red button on the pod, and the air-tight casing slid open with a hiss. She'd changed out of her armor into a plain black zip up suit earlier and now situated herself inside the pod. She punched in the number of days for stasis it would take to reach the Tower, and the casing slid back and locked in place. Then a haze of gas filtered inside, but Kira remained neutral and breathed it in slowly.

It took the drug only seconds to enter her bloodstream, as she could start to feel her limbs grow heavy and numb. Before she fell asleep, she mumbled, "Wake me up when we get there, Ghost."

It took only a moment for Kira to realize that something was wrong.

Her eyes popped open, and instead of seeing a wall of glass with a depiction of Earth on the horizon, letting her know they'd reached their destination, she found Variks positioned over her. Her initial reaction was to grab her gun, which she'd taken off beforehand, leaving her weaponless. That didn't stop her hand from moving, though.

She did not expect Variks to be so quick, and strong. In an instant, he had both of her arms pinned above her head, his grip bruising and forceful. His masked face dangled only inches from her own. His eyes glowed like twin blue luminescent coals in the darkness, hypnotizing, and bright. She could look at nothing else, but she could feel his other two arms sliding up her torso, toward her zipper.

Kira couldn't move her lips to speak, too dazed to think of what to say or even believe if this was really happening or not. She hoped not, or so she told herself.

Her body tensed beneath his curious touches as he lowered the zipper inch by inch, but his eyes never left hers. She had a small glimpse at what lay beneath his mask, and she quickly looked away. She'd forgotten that Fallen had no mouths, not like humans or her own: Awoken. and then she wondered just what he planned to do with her.

She tilted her head away from him as he leaned in toward her; she could feel his mandibles graze the side of her cheek, and it shamed her to know it made her flush with arousal. She closed her eyes tight and tried to imagine anything else.

"Do I frighten you?" he asked, his breath hot against the side of her neck. It took all her remaining willpower not to arch toward him. Instead, she just told herself she was hallucinating, and it would all be over with soon…hopefully.

Realizing he was expecting an answer, dream or no dream, she lied and said, "No."

"Gooooood," he said.

She became painstakingly aware of the fact that she was now naked and at his mercy. Kira fought back a shocked cry when she felt his hot, wet tongue glide between her heaving breasts and find a nipple. His tongue wasn't like any she'd ever felt before; it was rough and long and each lick brought her closer to crying out. She bit her bottom lip instead, hoping this dream would end; she didn't know how much more of this she could take before…She tried not to think of it, least she lose all self-control and give in. While her mind might agree, she found her body undulating beneath his gentle caresses as rough hands glided over every curve she owned. But she still kept her eyes closed, ashamed at herself.

"This feels good, yes?" Variks asked. When she didn't say anything, one hand moved lower and brushed the inside of her thigh. Only then did she realize how wet she was, and the movement sent a shock like lightning between her legs that caused her to moan.

"Does this please you?" he asked as a finger dipped inside the moisture between her folds. Kira tried to break loose, but his grip was like iron; however, she wasn't trying to escape, she was trying to bring herself closer to him, wanted him deeper.

Suddenly, he brought his finger out of her, and she moaned in protest. But then he brought the slick finger to her lips, and she drew it into her mouth and tasted her own warm, sweet juices, making sure to swirl her tongue for extra emphasis, hoping Variks would understand the gesture.

"More?" he asked.

Kira opened her eyes for the first time since this had started and nodded eagerly. To hell with her dignity. She needed this. Now.

She bent her head back as his tongue trailed her throat, then dipping lower until he was positioned between her legs. His hot breath on her sex made her throw her head back and clutch the sides of the pod they were trapped in together. Just as his tongue grazed the inside of her thigh where she wanted it to, Kira sat up with a lurch and a gasp.

Kira opened her eyes. The pod was open, she was still dressed, and her body was coated in a sheen of sweat. That's when it dawned on her…It was a dream. A very wet dream.

"Should I even ask?" said Ghost over the mic.

Kira ignored him and fell flat on her back inside the pod as the spacecraft orbited toward Earth. And here she'd thought losing sight of Skolas had been bad…she couldn't have been more wrong. There was nothing worse than waking up from a wet dream, unfulfilled.


End file.
